Worthy
by MoonyXmadness
Summary: Nick thinks Ellis deserves better, but only assuming what's best for the kid might not be the best route. NEllis. M for Nicks mouth.


WOOH! My stories are progressively getting longer! And I'm actually finishing them? I could cry… But I'm such a lazy writer :'D I tend to only focus on the main points and kind of …..forget any little background details…well at least that's the way it seems to me. HEY Rochelle's in this one! And she actually has some part in it! I hate Rochelle in game, and she always tends to be at the butt of my jokes but she has a nice character, seeming all motherly and what not, so yeah :3

Enjoy?

L4D2:VALVe

"Well, looks like that's over" Nick huffed as he jumped out of the back of the army vehicle, Ellis close behind him.

"I Don' know, I'm thinking' I might miss it, it was like living in the worlds biggest shootin' range" Nick glanced at the younger a puzzled look crossing his features.

"Oh, no, Overalls, I was talking about us" with that the Conman turned and began in the other direction.

"What'chew talkin' 'bout Nick?" Ellis jogged to stand beside the older survivor, leaning around to smile up at him.

"Exactly what it sounds like I'm _talkin' 'bout _now piss off" Nick removed a cigarette from his now mostly-white suit pocket and held it to his lips, clicking his liberated lighter to life. Ellis stared confused at Nick, still not quite grasping the mans words. Nick sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Listen, kid, it was fun while it lasted, but now that we're safe, now that I know my ass isn't gonna end up dead on the side of a fucking road feeding zombies, I have no reason to keep your hillbilly ass around, now go bother Rochelle or something" the confusion melted form the mechanics face replaced by an expression akin to horror.

"Wuh- but, but we, yew said-"

"Here, I'll make it a little more simple, I was _with_ YOU because I figured with Ro' being one of those women's right activist kind of girls, you'd be a better target for a quick fuck, and seeing as you were _very_ compliant with ever thing else I said just made the task of getting you to spread your legs all the more easier for me, Now, thanks for the fuck, see ya." With that the Conman turned and left the southerner standing dumbstruck in the middle of the dirt covered road, the other survivors and military forces still bustling around him, completely unaware that his reality had just be shattered.

Ellis drew in a shaky breath watching the form of his former 'lover' fade away into the distance, his foggy blue eyes threatening to spill the hot liquid slowly blurring his vision. His knees gave out and he fell to the ground, a small cloud of dusty exploding around his knees and settling on his already filthy jeans and sticking to his cheeks where the tears had spilled from his eyes and made there way down his face.

And he cried.

After every thing he'd been through. After being spit on, strangled, road, slashed, mauled, bit, barfed on, trapped, pummeled, and basically raped by every bad thing this word had to throw at him, after keeping a sunny attitude and smiling through all seven layers of hell. He cried.

And cried.

And cried.

And remained on the ground, in that spot, shaking and sobbing and gasping for breath for god knows how long, until he felt a warm hand placed on his shoulder. And he looked up to the blurred face of his former comrade, No, his current friend.

"Honey, are you ok? What's wrong?" Rochelle spoke softly kneeling down on the ground beside him, rubbing his back lovingly. "you'd think with that smile being stuck to your face through all that, you'd be split in two after being rescued" she tried to joke, a small smile gracing her features. But Ellis couldn't return it, no matter how bad he wanted to.

"I-I" Ellis gasped, the air filling and burning his lungs and tried again "wha-what'd I do? I-I can I undo it-" a new wave of tears seared down his cheeks as he gazed wide eyed up at the dark skinned woman.

"Ellis, honey, what are you talking about?" she questioned, concern lining her words.

"N-Nick" he choked and gasped a few times "He said, said I-he di'in wanna be with me tha' I, I was jus' a 'quick fuck'" Rochelle twitched lightly at the curse word coming from the boys mouth, but kept her eyes fixed to the wide, red rimmed blue ones staring with a lost expression up at her. And looking to his face, streaked with tears and dust, bruised from the horrible things they'd been through, looking completely lost and heart broken, She felt the urge to cry to.

Or sock Nick in the face.

But that could wait.

Rochelle whispered "oh, baby, it's okay Hun, it's gonna be okay," wrapped Ellis in a motherly embrace and let him sob against her already ruined Depeche mode shirt, murmuring soft words of comfort and listened to his muffled ramblings of distress about his, apparently, unreciprocated love.

They had sat there for a long while, Rochelle continued stroking Ellis hair, and rubbing his back, waiting out the tears and undistinguishable words. And they had slowed , Ellis had asked her a question and she had missed it.

"I'm sorry, Hun, what was that?" she looked down at him again, a calming smile tugging at her lips. Ellis sniffed and repeated his question.

"Does it stop hurtin'?" Rochelles smile was ripped form her features along with what ever reply she might have had, so Ellis explained, "the, the awful fealin' in my chest, will it go away?" And Rochelle still didn't know what to tell him.

From what she had gathered about the two men in the month of so they had been fighting together, Ellis's love life was….non existent, he would rather hang out with friends and fix cars then bother himself with relationships, which also meant that his SEX life wasn't even a possibility, the 'innocent', almost _too '_innocent' Christian boy from the south seemed to be stuck in his teenage years, not sheltered, stupid, or unaware. Just…not interested. Sure he'd blow a head off a former human and laugh all the while, but _sex _with a _girl_, unheard off.

Now Nick, he seemed just the opposite in the 'relationship' matter, he had revealed being married at one point, along with being divorced, _along_ with sleeping with more women then he would care to count. He was a 'gamblin' man' as Ellis had addressed him in there first meeting, and one night stand after one night stand was okay in his book, but friends? No way, his distrust in human beings was right up there with survival. Screwing a stranger then leaving as if he was never there was safer then putting faith in a person you had no control over. Which was what Rochelle had though had drawn the older man to Ellis. Sweet sunny, compliant Ellis.

And Rochelle, although she would never admit it to the distressed 23 year old, wasn't really surprised at Nicks abandonment.

"Ellis, baby, you need to understand. You didn't do _anything _wrong," _Except maybe allow him to have sex with you in the first place_, "who knows why Ni-…he would ever give up such an amazing boy like you" _maybe cause he's a self centered asshole who cares for nothing and no one but himself, "_you know what hun?" _but something DOES seem a little…off,_ "You get yourself up, and go wait with Coach, I'll be back in a sec." Ellis did as he was told, rubbing his swollen eyes and sniffling pathetically.

It had taken her a good twenty minutes to finally find the Conman, but when she did, here resentment for him was fully restored.

"Nicolas!" she said sharply storming up to him.

"Hey there, sweethea-"

_**SMACK.**_

His coy smile and smooth voice was abruptly interrupted by a hard slap dealt across his handsome features.

"…_OW_, _Jesus_ Ro' like the zombies weren't bad enough! God _damnit" _Nick frowned rubbing his reddening cheek.

"_You," s_he jabbed a finger at his chest, causing him to twitch involuntarily, expecting another slap, "you self-centered, _asshole," _and she was off,"do you realize you just _broke _that poor kids heart? Do you _realize _how much he _loved _you? How much he dedicated him self to you, how much he was willing to _sacrifice_ for you? _well?" _Nick stared down at her, a blank expression trained on his face.

"Maybe _he_ shouldn't have expect so much from me, who the fuck said I was planning to spend the rest of my fucking life with him? _Maybe_ I was planning to ditch his sorry ass the first chance I got, what fucking business is it of yours if I don't fucking love the kid, shit I-" Rochelle interrupted him again, luckily this time with out the accompanying slap.

"Nicolas, I'm not _telling_ you to love someone one you don't have feelings for, I'm telling you to go _apologize _to Ellis for _lying_ to him."

And Nick was, for once, completely speechless.

The Conman stared at the dark skinned reporter, one thin eyebrow cocked, delicate hands placed on her hips. "how…?" all his years of conning lying cheating, this woman that had only know him for, give or take, three weeks, had seen right through him.

"Nick, you really think I didn't see the way you to acted around each other? No one, not even a cold hearted lying asshole like you, could pretend for that long with out slipping at least once, Nick you care for that boy, and even if your not willing to admit it, he shouldn't have to suffer over the thought that you were just using hi-"

"He deserves better," Nick mumbled looking away from Rochelle's face, not seeing her smug expression drop to concerned.

"…Nick?" She held a hand up to place it on his shoulder, but thought better of it and let it fall back to her side.

"You're right, that kid deserves someone better, who he can actually give all his devotion and love and…and who can devote them selves to him as much as he deserves." Nick occupied him self by looking into the slowly fading sun, pretending to be more interested in it then the conversation at hand.

"Well, lucky for you that he doesn't _want_ better, he wants _you_, and I think you'll agree with me when I say he probably deserves what he wants." She gave Nick a small smile and turned to head to where the military forces were ushering the other survivors into the camps.

Nick hadn't followed until a camouflage clad soldier had told him that they needed to get into the camps before it got to dark, and he had easily complied. He had been assign a tent, but he didn't really plan on going there, instead he sought out Rochelle.

Ellis lay in on his assign cot, hugging the blanket to his chest and burying his face in the pillow that smelt like antiseptic. He sniffed and rolled over as the cloth door was pulled back letting a strip of light spill into the tent. He didn't really care to see who he'd be sharing a tent with at the moment. That was until said person laid down on _his_ cot and promptly wrapped their arms around his waist. Ellis gasped.

"Cool it killer, it's me" Nick spoke softly into his ear. Ellis flipped over and threw his arms around the older man, burying his face into his neck. "forgiving me so easily overalls? How do you know I'm not just here to get in your pants one last time?"

"Rochelle told me what'chew said," the mechanics voice was muffled by Nicks shirt.

"Remind me to thank her for doing all the hard work for me" He chuckled, gently pressing his lips to the mess of light brown curls. Ellis smiled against Nicks neck Nuzzling closer to him, but remained silent.

"you really sure you still want me after that dick move? Cause I'll gladly leave-" the younger tighten his grip around Nick.

"I want'chew." Ellis mumbled sniffling quietly.

"You gonna start crying?" Nick mocked, he couldn't stand this serious touchy feely shit with the kid, it just wasn't him.

" Hell no I aint gonna cry!" Ellis push back to glare up at nick, his full lips forming a pout. Nick smirked and took the hicks lower lip between his teeth and sucked gently, pulling him into a kiss.

"Good, cause it doesn't suit you" he muttered running his tongue over the younger's lips

"Yeah well yer an asshole and it suits yew jus' fine," Ellis chuckled between kisses. Nick punched him lightly on the arm.

"Well, I'm not changing, so your stuck with me as is."

"MmMmm good" a smile spread across his face, placing his arms around the Conman's neck once more.


End file.
